Lawmakers Set Sights on Child Care Aid of $5,000 Per Parent

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Legislators are fine-tuning a proposal to help Nevada parents pay for child care, though they say the complex policy is still in flux.

At the heart of Senate Bill 455 are payroll tax breaks for businesses that help employees pay for child care.

The measure would build on an existing state program that Sen. Patricia Farley says is consistently underfunded by about $25 million a year.

She said at a Tuesday hearing that that demonstrates a massive, unmet need to help parents pay for daycare.

The measure would not limit how much money a company could contribute to employees’ child care costs. But it would cap the tax credits they could receive for doing so at $5,000 per low-to-moderate-income employee.

Farley is combining efforts with Sen. Pat Spearman, who had proposed crediting businesses $2,500 per employee.